Collapsible clothes dryer



FIGI.

Aug. 27, 1957 Filed July 13, 1955 C. G. PlERlE COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRYER 3 Sheets-Sheet l iNVENTORI CHARLES G. PI ERIE ATTYS.

C. G. PIERIE COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRYER Aug. 27,1957

3 Sheets-$heet 2 Filed July 13, 1955 INVEN TOR- CHARLES G- PIERIE BY 796W ATTYS.

Aug. 27, 1957 c. G. PIERIE 2,804,215

- COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRYER Filed July 15, 1955 3 Shets-Sheet s FIG.3.

IN V E N T O R 1 CHARLES G. PIERIE ATTYS.

United States Patent 2,804,215 COLLAPSIBLE CLOTHES DRYER Charles G. Pierie, Huntington Valley, Pa. Application July 13, 1955, Serial No. 521,697 4 Claims. (Cl. 211-178) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in clothes dryers of the collapsible'type, and more particularly to dryers of the stated class wherein parallel clothes lines are stretched horizontally between spaced parallel hangers, as distinguished from the umbrella-type wherein the clothes lines are carried directly on arms projecting radially from a central supporting pole.

Prior art clothes dryers have been characterizedby several undesirable features which the present invention overcomes. For example, one form of dryer having parallel clothes lines stretched between hangers'utilizes folding sections for each hanger. My prior patent, No. 2,670,855, dated March 2, 1954, eliminates the necessity for a folding joint in any ofthe hangers for supporting arms, while providing an entirely symmetrical structure "having the desirable features inherent in using clothes lines that are all parallel to each other yet which can be readily collapsed and stored. While the construction shown in my patent is fully elfective to produce the desired results, I have found that the requirement for sliding connections, and special fittings make it relatively eX' pensive to manufacture and assemble. I V

The present invention provides a dryer of the type shoWnin-my patent which retains all ofthe'desirable functional characteristics; but is of simplifiedconstruction and which is highly economical ;to manufactureand' assemble. p

More particularly, the invention contemplates a collapsible dryer characterized by pivotal or swivel connections between the various supporting elements; and a single sliding element on the pole. 7

These and other objects of the" invention'and the various features and details of the constructionand operation thereof are more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawingsjin which: h

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a coilapsible clothes dryer made in accordance with the presentinvention showing the same fully extended and set up'for use;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view. 'of the dryer in extended position;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation'showingthe relative positions of the parts in partially collapsed position; 7 p 7 Fig. 4 is a side elevation at areducedscale showing the dryer in fully collapsed position; V

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view taken'on the: line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a plan view at the same scale as Fig. 5, and

taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 88 ofv Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional viewtakenon thezline 9-9 of Fig. 1; and,

Figs. 10 and 11 are sectional views similar to Figs. 7 and 8 showing a modified form of connection within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention comprises essentially a pair of parallel hangers between whicha plurality of clothes lines are stretched. The hangers.v are :held imposition byrour arms which extend radially from a'centerpost of pole. A swivel connection atfording'pivotal'movement abouttwo perpendicular axes is provideibetwenithe endsfofv the the pole. Simultanequs.withtheupward; piyotaljrnove;

arms and the hangers so that when the arms are pivoted against the center 1 the hangers also swivel into a compact upright position adjacent the arms and the pole. In order to accomplish this result, the opposite arms have similar turning action sothatthe tips ofthe arm supporting one end of a hanger is raised whereasthe tip of the adjacent arm supporting the opposite end of the hanger is lowered. Compact collapsed alignment ofthe various elements is further enhanced because adjacent arms supporting opposite hangers pivot in the opposite directions so that the diagonal extremities of the hangers are raised and lowered respectively.

The connecting linkage for the arms is such that the two opposite arms whose tips pivot downwardly are secured to a fixed pivot point near the top of the center pole. The other two opposite arms whose tips pivot upwardly are pivoted to a collar which slides downwardly longitudinally of the pole when the arms are to be collapsed; Additional supportfor'the hangers is provided by a pair of struts suspended from a point above the fixed pivot point near the top of the pole.

' Referring now to the drawings, a preferred form of clothes dryer made in accordance with the present invention is illustrated comprising a central vertical pole 1,

a p air of hangers 2 and 3 respectively, and a framework 4' supporting the hangers both in the extended andthe' collapsed position. When the dryer.is.,.set up for use (see Fig. 1), the members 2 and 3 assume the spacedapart relationship shown, soas to stretch between them a plurality of strands of ,clotheslines 5. In the, present embodiment, the hangers 2 and 3 are tubular in form and are provided with a series of spaced apertures 6 forthe reception of the clothes line, it being noted'that the apertures pass through both walls of thetubular member so-that the line may bethreaded'through the complete series-of apertures in a continuous strand as clearly shown in Fig. 1. V

In accordance with the present inventionp the framework 4 comprises four radially extending arms lll, 11,

12, and 13, and a pair of struts 14 and 1 5.1 The arms 10 and-12 operate similarly'and are pivot-ally connected at their inner extremities to a fixed pivot point adjacent the upper extremity of the pole, forexampleas indicated at 16 and 17 respectively and are connected at their other extremities to the hangers 2 and 3 by swivel connections- 18 and 19 respectively, each connection affording pivotal. movement about the axis of the hangers and about a second axis perpendicular thereto as more fully described hereinafter. The arms;11 and 13, on theother hand, are

connected for pivotal movement about horizontal axes on a movable collar 21, as indicated at 22 an d 23 respective-1 ly,- and at their outer extremity, are connected to the: hang ers 2 and 3 by swivel connections 24 and 25 respectively which are similar to the swivel connections lsandllSl,

To provide vertical support forthe hangers in extended position, the struts 14 and 15 are mounted as more fully set forth hereinafter adjacent the upper extremity of the pole 1 by swivel connections '27 and 28, and have their outer extremities pivotally-connected to the hangers 2 and 3 asindicated at 29 and130.

e In the op'erationbf thetdevie, the collar, 21 is maintained in the elevated position'shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by

means of a pin-:35 which passes through registering apertures in .thecollar. and pole; Ass'hown, the pin :35. may

p 3511116 i t e c llar 21 downw d yom e po e 1, the arms 11,-and'13 pivot upwardly relative to the ;col-' 1 1121. the h ngersz. and-.3 mov ng b y ar to r pole 1. This effects a turning movement of the hangers 2 and 3 as they are collapsed against the pole.

Theturning movement of the hangers 2 and 3 is made U possible by the swivel connections 18, U, 24, and 25.

Each of theswivel connections is identical and comprises an annular element 40 encircling the hanger and rotatable about the axis thereof. The element 40 is retained against longitudinal displacement of the hanger by a pair of Washers 41, 41 retained in place by pins 42, 42. The element 40 is formed with a radially projecting pin 43 which pivotally mounts the arm for movement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the hanger. To insure freedom of movement, a collar 44 is positioned between the annular portion of the element 40 and the arm 12. Thus, each of the arms 10,11, 12, and 13 is free to pivot on the axis of its associated hanger, as well as about an axis perpendicular to the last mentioned axis. The movement of the hangers 2 and 3 is clearlyshown in Fig. 3.

Figs.- 10 and 11 show a modification in the swivel connections between the arms and the hangers wherein the washers 41a, 41a which correspond to the washers 41, 41 are retained against longitudinal displacement on the hangers by upsetting the hanger material adjacentthereto, as indicated at 420:. By upsetting the material forming the hangers, the necessity for apertures in the hanger and the pins 42 is eliminated. Otherwise, the connection is identical to the connection described above, and similar reference numerals followed with the reference character a have been applied to Figs. 10 and 11.

To provide vertical support for the framework 4, when the dryer is in extended position, the struts 14 and 15.

are pivoted to the hangers as indicated at 29 and 30. In the present instance the pivotal connection is a simple pinned connection, as shown in detail in Fig. 9. To this end, each hanger is pierced by a bolt 50 which passes through an aperture 51 in the associated strut to consti tute a pivot pin for the connection. The inner extremi- 'ties of the struts 14 and 15 are connected to the upper extremity of the pole 1 by the swivel connections 27 and 28 respectively. In the present instance, each swivel connectioncomprises a U-shaped member 52 pivotally mounting the struts for example by a bolt 53 for movement about a horizontal axis and within the vertical plane containing the axis of the pole 1. The U-shaped member is free for limited pivotal movement about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis mounting the arm 14. The pivotal mounting of the U-shaped members, in the present instance rivets 54, affords twisting of the struts 14 and 15 on their axes as the framework 4 is collapsed, by displacing the collar 21 downwardly on the pole. In the fully collapsed position, as shown in Figs. .4 and 6, the struts 14 and 15 are coplanar with the vertical axis through the center of the pole 1, and the pivotal movement of the U-shaped member on the pole is relatively slight and is provided only to prevent substantial Iclaim:

1. In an outdoor collapsible clothes dryer having a 7 central pole adapted to be mounted in a vertical position, and a pair of elongated rigid unitary clothes line hangers adapted in the set-up position of the dryer to be horizontally disposed in spaced-apart relation at opposite sides of the central pole and in the collapsed positionof the dryer to be disposed upright and closely adjacent to said pole; a supporting structure for said hangers for moving the same between said set-up and collapsed positions of the dryer comprising a first pair of arms having swivel connections at their outer ends to diagonally opposite end portions of said pair of hangers and pivotallyvconnected at their inner ends to a first fixed point on the pole, a collar slidable vertically on said pole between a lower position and an upper position adjacent said first fixed point on the pole, a second pair of arms having a swivel connection at their outer ends to the other end portions of said pair of hangers and pivotally connected at their inner ends to said collar, and a supporting strut for each hanger having its inner end connected to a horizontal pivot at a second fixed point on the pole above said first fixed point, and its outer end pivotally connected to said hanger at a fixed point intermediate the ends thereof for pivotal movement about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of said hanger, and latch means for retaining said collar in its upper limit position when said dryer binding of the elements during their displacement from extended to collapsed positions.

The present invention provides a collapsible clothes dryer of the type described which is highly economical to manufacture and assemble, being devoid of sliding con-. nections, at the same time providing a stable structure for supporting spaced parallel hangers for a series of parallel runs of clothes lines stretched therebetween.

Throughout the specification and claims, the term swivel connection is intended to denotea substantially universal connection between two members which atfords relative pivotal movement of said members about two axes disposed perpendicular to one another.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been herein illustrated and described, it is notintended to limit the invention to. such disclosures, but changes and modifications maybe made therein andthereto within the scope of the following claims.

, is in the set-up position.

2. A dryer according to claim 1 wherein said hangers are cylindrical, and wherein each of said swivel connections comprises an annular member embracing said hanger for pivotal movement about the axis of said hanger, and a pin projecting radially from said annular portion mounting its associated arm for pivotal movement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical hanger.

3. A clothes dryer according to claim 1 including a U- shaped member for each strut adjacent the upper extremity of said pole, each said U-shaped member pivotally mounting said strut for movement about a horizontal axis transversely to said strut, and being pivotally mounted on said pole about a horizontal axis perpendicular tothe pivotal axis of said strut.

4. In a collapsible clothes dryer, a central postadapted to be mounted in a vertical position, a pair of elongated rigid unitary clothes line supporting members adapted in a set-up position of the dryer to be horizontally disposed in spaced-apart relation at opposite sides of the central post and in the collapsed position of the dryer to be disposed upright and closely adjacent to said post; a structure for moving said members between and supporting them in said set-up and collapsed positions of the dryer comprising a first pair of arms having their outer ends substantially universally connected to respectively oppositely related end portions of the clothes line supporting members and their inner ends pivotally connected to a relatively fixed point adjacent the upper end of the post, a second pair of arms having their outer ends substantially universally connected respectively to the other end portions of said members and their inner ends pivotally mounted on an element adapted for sliding movement vertically of the post, and supporting struts for said clothes line supporting members, each having its outer end connectcdto one of said clothes line supporting members for pivotal movement about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of said member and having its inner end substantially universally connected to a relatively fixed point adjacent the upper end of the post.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,027,499 Tully -1 Jan. 14, 1936 2,358,844 Y Woodward Sept. 26, 1944 2,459,110 Midouhas Jan. 11, 1949 2,644,592. Campion. -Q July 7, 1953 2,670,855 Pierie Mar. 2, 1954 

